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Today's Mishnah Yomi

Avodah Zarah 4:6 - 4:7

The Mishnah Yomi for Sunday, May 4, 2025 is Avodah Zarah 4:6 - 4:7

Mishnah 1

Mishnayos Avodah Zarah Perek 4 Mishnah 6

עבודה זרה פרק ד׳ משנה ו׳

6
With regard to an object of idol worship that was abandoned by its worshippers, if it was abandoned in peacetime, it is permitted, as it was evidently abandoned by choice and this constitutes an implicit revocation of its status as an object of idol worship. If it was abandoned in wartime, it is prohibited, as it was not abandoned by choice. With regard to the stone platforms of kings upon which idols are placed in honor of the kings, these are permitted, due to the fact that the idol is placed on these platforms only at the time that the kings pass by.
עֲבוֹדָה זָרָה שֶׁהִנִּיחוּהָ עוֹבְדֶיהָ בִּשְׁעַת שָׁלוֹם, מֻתֶּרֶת. בִּשְׁעַת מִלְחָמָה, אֲסוּרָה. בִּימוֹסְיָאוֹת שֶׁל מְלָכִים, הֲרֵי אֵלּוּ מֻתָּרוֹת, מִפְּנֵי שֶׁמַּעֲמִידִין אוֹתָם בְּשָׁעָה שֶׁהַמְּלָכִים עוֹבְרִים:
ו׳

שהניחוה עובדיה – and it wasn’t their intention to return.

בשעת שלום מותרת – since they left knowingly and did not take it with them, they annulled/destroyed it.

בימוסיות של מלכים – hewn stones that were prepared for the procession of the king and when the king passes through the, they set up idolatry there and he worships it. And in the Gemara (Talmud Avodah Zarah 53b) explains because they leave it, meaning to say, they are not designated to establish there idolatry every hour but rather at the time when the kings pass, and sometimes the kings pass through another road and we don’t suspect them. Therefore, it is not considered to be the usages of idolatry.

שהניחוה עובדיה. ואין דעתם לחזור:

בשעת שלום מותרת. הואיל ויצאו לדעת ולא נטלוה עמהם, בטלוה:

בימוסיות של מלכים. אבני גזית המתוקנות בדרך מהלך המלך, וכשהמלך עובר שם מושיבים שם עבודה זרה והוא משתחוה לה. ובגמרא. מפרש, מפני שמניחין אותה, כלומר אינן מיוחדות להושיב שם ע״ז כל שעה אלא בשעה שהמלכים עוברים, ופעמים שהמלכים עוברים בדרך אחרת ואין חוששין להם, הלכך לאו משמשי עבודה זרה חשיבי:

Mishnah 2

Mishnayos Avodah Zarah Perek 4 Mishnah 7

עבודה זרה פרק ד׳ משנה ז׳

7
The gentiles asked the Jewish Sages who were in Rome: If it is not God’s will that people should engage in idol worship, why does He not elimi-nate it? The Sages said to them: Were people worshipping only objects for which the world has no need, He would eliminate it. But they worship the sun and the moon and the stars and the constellations. Should He destroy His world because of the fools? The gentiles said to the Sages: If so, let Him destroy those objects of idol worship for which the world has no need and leave those objects for which the world has a need. The Sages said to them: If that were to happen, we would thereby be supporting the worshippers of those objects for which the world has need, as they would say: You should know that these are truly gods, as they were not eliminated from the world, whereas the others were eliminated.
שָׁאֲלוּ אֶת הַזְּקֵנִים בְּרוֹמִי, אִם אֵין רְצוֹנוֹ בַּעֲבוֹדָה זָרָה, לָמָה אֵינוֹ מְבַטְּלָהּ. אָמְרוּ לָהֶן, אִלּוּ לְדָבָר שֶׁאֵין צֹרֶךְ לָעוֹלָם בּוֹ הָיוּ עוֹבְדִין, הָיָה מְבַטְּלוֹ. הֲרֵי הֵן עוֹבְדִין לַחַמָּה וְלַלְּבָנָה וְלַכּוֹכָבִים וְלַמַּזָּלוֹת. יְאַבֵּד עוֹלָמוֹ מִפְּנֵי הַשּׁוֹטִים. אָמְרוּ לָהֶן, אִם כֵּן, יְאַבֵּד דָּבָר שֶׁאֵין צֹרֶךְ לָעוֹלָם בּוֹ וְיַנִּיחַ דָּבָר שֶׁצֹּרֶךְ הָעוֹלָם בּוֹ. אָמְרוּ לָהֶן, אַף אָנוּ מַחֲזִיקִין יְדֵי עוֹבְדֵיהֶם שֶׁל אֵלּוּ, שֶׁאוֹמְרִים, תֵּדְעוּ שֶׁהֵן אֱלוֹהוֹת, שֶׁהֲרֵי הֵן לֹא בָטָלוּ:
ז׳

אף אנו מחזיקים ידיהם של אלו – those who worship the sun and/or the moon, if they would see that the rest of idolatry had been destroyed of its own and these exist, they would give thanks to those.

אף אנו מחזקין ידיהם של אלו. העובדים לחמה וללבנה. אם היינו רואין ששאר עבודה זרה חרבו מעצמן ואלו קיימות, היינו מודים לאלו:

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